Guidelines for Meal Donations
DONATING MEALS IS AS EASY AS 1-2-3
1 Schedule.
Meal donations must be scheduled online at
www.tinyurl.com/mcchmeals.
Thank you for your interest in
providing meals for HBCAC.
We rely on the generosity and energy of
community volunteers to provide over
100,000 meals a year for our residents.
Home Builders Care Assessment Center • 600-A East Gude Drive • Rockville, MD 20850 • telephone 301-545-5025 • email: meals@mcch.net • visit: www.mcch.net
2 Drop off.
Breakfast must be delivered by 5am, M-F and
7 am on weekends, lunch by 11am and dinner by
5pm. If your meal has been frozen, please deliver
3 Serve.
Your volunteer group of up to 10 people may
stay to serve if you have prepared enough for the
entire shelter. Children are permitted with adult
at least 6 hours earlier than the times listed. supervision.
FAQs
How many meals are needed? Please prepare meals for 80 people between April 1 and October 31. Please
prepare meals for 200 people between November 1 and March 31.
Where should meals be delivered? MCCH’s Home Builders Care Assessment Center (HBCAC) men’s
emergency shelter, 600A East Gude Drive in Rockville.
What kind of meals are appropriate? Please see the reverse for guidelines. We appreciate your efforts to
prepare healthy meals for our clients.
Can we cook meals at HBCAC? No, our kitchen only has equipment to re-heat food, not to prepare food.
However, we do have outdoor grills, which we welcome and encourage donors to use for preparing meals.
Volunteers must provide charcoal and lighter fluid if using our grills.
What should I do if I need to cancel? Please contact meals@mcch.net no less than 24 hours before your
meal is scheduled. If you are cancelling outside of normal business hours, please call HBCAC at 301-545-
5025 andask for the shift supervisor or designee.
Can I still help if I am unable to prepare an entire meal? We appreciate donations of cooked rotisserie
chickens, family-sized frozen lasagnas, family-sized frozen vegetables, milk, orange juice, cereal, granola
bars, bottled water, coffee, tea, creamer, and sugar, as well as paper/plastic plates, bowls, cups, and
utensils.
ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES MEAL REQUIREMENTS

As you prepare your meal donation, please keep in mind the following guidelines. Breakfast
Provide at least one of the following:
PLEASE DO PLEASE DON’T Oatmeal
Egg casseroles
• Provide plates, utensils and cups with each meal • Provide peanut butter or tuna sandwiches due to allergy
Scrambled eggs
donation. and spoilage concerns. Pancakes or waffles with syrup
Bagels with cream cheese
• Use 20” x 12”aluminum trays to feed 15–20 men as a • Apply condiments or salad dressing. Instead, please
Whole wheat bread with butter and jelly
main dish and up to 50 as a side dish. provide larger bottles or preferably individual packets,
which can be purchased from www.foodservicedirect. Additionally, provide each of the following:
• Consider using healthy ingredients such as whole Fresh fruit or fruit cups
com or www.amazon.com.
grains, as well as fresh fruit and vegetables. Be Granola or breakfast bars
mindful of reducing the saturated fat and sodium • Leave perishable food at room temperature for more 100% juice box or milk
content of meals wherever possible. than two hours, or one hour if the temperature is above Lunch
90 degrees. Always keep hot food hot and cold food Provide at least one of the following:
• Find healthy recipes scaled for large groups on the Sandwich with meat/cheese/veg.
cold.
USDA’s Healthy Meals Resource System: http:// (2/person)
healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/recipes/recipes-school- Soup with 1 sandwich
food-service. Stew with 1 sandwich
Hamburgers or hot dogs
• Review the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Chili/vegetarian chili
information for consumers on safe food handling: Pizza
www.fsis.usda.gov/shared/PDF/Cooking_for_Groups. Additionally, provide each of the following:
pdf Fresh fruit or fruit cups
Carrot or celery sticks
• Wash your hands at every step during food Bottled water
preparation. Be mindful of cleanliness during Dinner
preparation and serving of meals. Provide at least one of the following:
Baked skinless chicken
Meatloaf
Whole wheat pasta entrée
Pizza
Hamburgers or hot dogs
Chili/vegetarian chili
Other protein based entrée
Home Builders Care Assessment Center email: meals@mcch.net Additionally, provide each of the following:
600-A East Gude Drive visit: www.mcch.net Vegetables and/or salad
Rockville, MD 20850
Baked/mashed potatoes or rice
telephone: 301-545-5025
Bottled water